*Legendary producer Jimmy Jam has spent a long time shaping the sound of recent music. As one half of music’s preeminent producing duo Jam & Lewis, his fingerprints are on data by Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Prince, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, New Version, Boyz II Males, Usher, Babyface, and numerous others. Total eras of R&B and pop had been constructed from that basis.
Now, as he appears to be like forward to 2026, Jam isn’t slowing down or trying backward. He’s centered on preservation, storytelling, and ensuring the tradition understands the place the music really comes from.
“The subsequent verse for us in 2026 is 2 issues actually closely,” Jam stated. “One is we’re very a lot within the documentary house.”
That documentary push is properly underway. A Jam & Lewis documentary is at the moment in manufacturing, providing an inside have a look at one of the vital influential artistic partnerships in music historical past. On the similar time, Jam and Terry Lewis have simply executive-produced a documentary on Curtis Mayfield, a undertaking that’s already producing severe buzz.
“We simply bought finished govt producing a documentary on Curtis Mayfield,” Jam shared. “Despite the fact that it’s not out, the critics which have seen it have already deemed it the most effective documentaries of 2025. Wow. H.E.R is the director on it. So it’s a musician speaking a couple of musician.
The movie connects generations in a significant manner, he instructed EURweb. “Curtis was a robust affect on her, and he or she wished individuals to find out about him.”
That very same sense of duty to the previous is driving Jam & Lewis’ first directorial undertaking, a documentary centered on Gamble, Huff, and Thom Bell, the architects of the Philadelphia soul sound.
“There’s no Jam and Lewis with out Gamble and Huff,” Jam stated.
Music You Don’t Simply Hear, You Perceive
Whereas the documentary work factors towards the longer term, Jam stays deeply linked to the reside expertise. At Metropolis Vineyard NYC, he lately returned for Late Improvement presents Jimmy Jam: Jamz & Dialog – Half Two, an intimate night mixing storytelling, reside piano, and shared reminiscence.
The idea, developed alongside Elijah Wells of Late Improvement, was designed to do greater than entertain.
“I wish to name it two issues,” Jam stated. “One is an knowledgeable listening expertise… though you’ve heard these songs one million occasions, if you hear it after this, you’ll hearken to it another way since you’ll know the way it was put collectively.”
The second layer is about connection.
“It’s a shared listening expertise,” he stated. “When that tune comes on, you look throughout the desk… or it might be somebody you don’t even know, however you discover that you’ve got that music in widespread.”
Late Improvement, an leisure and advertising firm identified for crafting culture-forward occasions and artistic collaborations, helped create an area the place these moments might unfold naturally. The demand has been sturdy, and Jam says taking the present on the street may be very a lot on the desk.
“We’ll see what the viewers desires and we’ll attempt to determine it out,” he stated.
Turning Music Into Motion
For Jimmy Jam, music has at all times been about greater than charts and accolades. That perception is on the coronary heart of Sometime Has Begun, a world initiative utilizing music to battle starvation.
The undertaking is tied to the Tony Robbins Basis’s 100 Billion Meals marketing campaign and is designed to be interactive relatively than passive. As an alternative of a single completed report, Jam wished a dwelling piece of music individuals might participate in.
“These days, individuals need to be concerned,” he stated. “So we determined to make a tune… that turns into a dwelling, respiratory factor that individuals are concerned with.”
The initiative additionally consists of The Subsequent Verse, a collective of creators dedicated to utilizing music for social influence.
“I name music the divine artwork,” Jam stated.
The attain is each international and native. “We need to guarantee that Gaza is fed and locations around the globe,” he stated, “however we additionally need to guarantee that the native meals cabinets and the communities are in good condition.”
Bringing the Catalog to the Stage
One other long-awaited chapter is lastly arriving: Jam & Lewis performing their catalog reside.
“We’ve by no means actually gone and performed our catalog of music reside,” Jam stated. “So we need to go and try this.”
After profitable performances in Japan and Atlanta, 2026 is shaping as much as be the 12 months audiences hear these timeless songs in a brand new manner.
“Our anchor artists are two powerhouse vocalists: Ruben Studdard and Shaunice Wilson,” Jam reveals, noting Studdard’s potential to deal with every thing from Usher to Alexander O’Neal. “Shaunice simply shines. She will be able to deal with all of the females; she’s notably nice at doing Janet. And Janet is the hardest one to do.”
“It’ll be that reminiscence financial institution,” Jam stated, “the place you’ll hear these songs and sing together with them and have some enjoyable.”
Regardless of his great affect, Jam stays grounded. His favourite indulgence is easy and really human.
“My unhealthy behavior is a grande mocha Frappuccino in a venti cup, double-blended, additional whipped cream. I’m at Starbucks on daily basis. That’s my vice,” he discloses. However at the very least I stroll there. Its a couple of mile from our home. So I stability it with a stroll.”
“I ought to get a sponsorship out of this,” he laughs.
OK Starbucks? Wasssup?!
Celebrating the Architects of Tradition
Along with working with Jimmy Jam, Late Improvement’s dedication to honoring the tradition continues with Ralph McDaniels, the pioneering creator and host of Video Music Field, whose platform helped introduce hip-hop to a nationwide viewers and doc its earliest stars.
On February 26, Late Improvement pays tribute to McDaniels for his birthday with Ralph McDaniels and Buddies at Brooklyn Bowl, that includes EPMD, DJ Chuck Chillout, Strafe, Roxanne Shanté, and extra, a gathering that displays the dwelling historical past Jam is working so arduous to protect.
As for Jimmy Jam, each undertaking connects again to the identical concept: honoring the previous, partaking the current, and opening doorways for the longer term.
As he places it merely, the work is now not about sometime.
“Sometime has begun.”
Jimmy talks about his signature model and spills some tales within the convo above.
Article by Jazmyn Summers. You’ll be able to hear Jazmyn each morning on “Jazmyn within the Morning “on Sirius XM Channel 362 Grown Folks Jamz. Subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube. Comply with her on Fb and Instagram.
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